Hip Hop Jewelry

From Kanye West’s Horus chain and pyramids ring, to Rick Ross’s $1.5M gold chain with a massive diamond pendant of his own face, music fans and pop culture followers can’t get enough of the over-the-top ways that hip-hop artists compete with each other in terms of jewelry.

Either expensive, or cheap hip hop jewelry, or “bling” (the term popularized by Lil Wayne in the B.G. song “Bling Bling”) is a shining symbol of success. Often personalized, rappers, athletes, DJs, and more put a lot of thought into choosing pieces of jewelry that show off their personality, style, and life journey.

Gold hip-hop jewelry’s deep-rooted history means that it serves as a reminder of the origins of the art form, the solidarity between artists, and the hard work and determination that make up the backbone of the genre. Though styles and trends change with each decade, hip-hop jewelry will always share the important characteristics that define the style.

At ItsHot, we’re located in New York City, central to the origins of the hip-hop movement, which we believe produced some of the most magnificent jewelry styles of all time. We’ve put together an informative guide to hip hop style jewelry from its origins, to the different styles today.

Hip Hop Jewelry Origins and Meaning

Rick Ross’s iced-out self-portrait gold face chain might be the most expensive piece of rapper jewelry right now, but it would pale in comparison to the gold jewelry of the richest man who ever lived — Mansa Musa, King of the West African Empire.

Although unfortunately, in the 14th century, Mansa Musa didn’t have any performers who were down with the king and could rock a rhyme with him, he was dressing like he was ready to bust a flow. Bedecked in layers of gold chains, rings, bracelets, wearing a crown, and carrying a gold scepter, the man was so rich he was giving gold away to villagers (earning him fans but wrecking the economy).

500 years later, rappers Slick Rick and Big Daddy Kane would start wearing crowns and holding scepters, but it was Kurtis Blow who paved the way. When Blow came out with the first certified gold hip-hop record, he celebrated his successful breakthrough by wearing gold chains on his groundbreaking album cover. While his chains were thin by Mansa Musa’s standards, they showed off a kind of wealth that was even more important than money; success.

The hip-hop movement began as an art form for groups that were marginalized and oppressed. Created by African Americans, Latin Americans and Caribbean Americans and in the Bronx, NYC, hip-hop fused art and resistance. It provided new values that challenged a system that worked against them.

Those who were successful proved that they could defy the challenges stacked against them. Wearing the most eye-catching gold chains, rings, and sneakers wasn’t for the simple sake of materialism—it gave hope to other aspiring, low-income artists. It showed the world the power of those it had been neglecting.

Influence on Mainstream Fashion

Initially, early hip-hop gold jewelry styles such as gold rope chains gained popularity, but mostly among other hip-hop artists. As the genre started gaining traction, the real jewelry became more diverse. LL Cool J became one of the first to popularize four-fingered rings, and Biz Markie brought it up a level when he added diamonds to the mix.

In the 1990s, rap became tremendously successful. Platinum chains and diamonds became the new trend. People like P. Diddy (one of our celebrity customers!), and Missy Elliot made gold chains a desirable style even to those outside of hip-hop, while others continued to develop new styles.

The Notorious B.I.G, Jay-Z, and Lil Kim started popularizing religious pendants, while female rappers such as Roxanne Shanté and the group Salt-N-Pepa popularized oversized gold earrings. These jewelry trends continued to expand and develop through the 2000s, making them one of the most talked-about styles of jewelry in pop culture. Rather than lying outside the realm of mainstream fashion, hip-hop fashion started to shape mainstream jewelry trends.

Modern Hip-Hop Jewelry

Today, hip-hop jewelry styles are bigger than ever. It’s changed the way the jewelry industry operates; it’s created a new line of business that focuses on larger and bolder styles, solid gold and diamond sources, and personalization options.

The most brilliant and passionate jewelers and designers today work ceaselessly on creating new works of art that they want the world to see. The demands in today’s hip-hop style trends revolve around iced-out gold jewelry, layered chains, different colors of gold and colored diamonds, bracelets, diamond grills, statement rings, and luxury watches.

The Best Modern Hip-Hop Jewelry Styles

It’s no secret that many business owners and executives in the jewelry industry can’t keep up with the new demands for unique hip-hop jewelry styles. They make feeble attempts to stick to their old-fashioned products, offering a generic-looking gold chain or statement ring here and there.

Here at ItsHot, we’re centered in the midst of NYC’s diamond district. In the heart of cultural growth and awareness, we’re always at the cutting-edge of today’s styles. It doesn’t take a visionary to see the direction jewelry is going, but so many stores fail to adapt.

Supplying the highest quality of craftsmanship in our real hip hop jewelry for sale is not only our pleasure; it’s the only way we see fit. At its heart, hip-hop jewelry is about the individual, self-expression, and accomplishment—jewelry that’s run-of-the-mill doesn’t suffice.

Though we have an impressive array of celebrity customers, we offer high-end gold hip-hop jewelry at the best price guarantee. Our online store allows us to make men’s diamond hip-hop jewelry NYC style available for the world, for men and women.

Today’s contemporary hip-hop jewelry styles exemplify some of the most refined artistry today. In case you’re wondering what kind of jewelry to get, here are some of our favorite high quality, low price pieces.

Pendants

In 2021, custom pendants continue to be a centerpiece in rap jewelry competition. T. Pain’s Diamond Bottle chains, DaBaby’s Stewie Griffin pendant, and Lil Yachty’s Bart Simpson piece, are just a few of the many wild custom pendants rappers invest in.

We offer options for you to customize your own pendant, and we also offer some of our own hip-hop pendants that you can customize. Here are a few:

• Diamond Pirate Skull Pendant: 14K gold in yellow, white, or rose gold, its eyes are made of black diamonds, which some believe to be cursed. Cursed or not, you’ll have more swagger with this pendant than Captain Jack Sparrow ever dreamed of.
• Mini Diamond Jesus Head Pendant: If you want a real gold and diamond hip-hop pendant for a cheap price, Mini Diamond Jesus is here for you.
• Pharaoh Head Pendant: If you liked Kanye West’s Egyptian theme, this King Tut charm medallion made of 10K gold and real diamonds is a fitting choice.
• Pinky And The Brain Pendant: Hop on the rap style trend of showing off your favorite T.V. characters in diamonds and gold.

Gold Chains

Whether worn in layers, on their own, with a pendant, or encrusted with diamonds, you can’t underestimate a gold chain’s ability to elevate any outfit. Here are some of our best gold hip-hop chains for sale, available in white gold, yellow, and rose.

• 14K Miami Cuban Link Chain: This expertly crafted Italian style chain took the rap world by storm with its bold, masculine look and effortless elegance.
• Diamond-Encrusted Miami Cuban Link Chain: How can you make the Cuban link chain even more bold? Put diamonds on it for a frosty finish.
• Colored Diamond 14K Gold Chain: How to outdo an iced-out gold chain? Put three colors of diamonds on it: white, yellow, and blue, for a totally unique look.

Grillz

Grillz are an edgy way to stand out and show you’re the real deal. We offer real diamond grillz made from solid gold in your choice of color.

• 14K Gold Colored Diamonds Grill: Customize this grill with diamonds in blue, canary yellow, white, chocolate, green, black, and red to make it 100% unique.
• Beyonce style 18K Diamond Grill: Hip hop grillz for women can be sleek and subtle. Our real women’s hip-hop grill is designed after Beyonce’s vampire-esque grill.

Bracelets

Adding some bling to your wrists is a sure way to never go unnoticed. Here are some of our best NYC styles:

• Half Kilo Cuban Link Bracelet: In real solid gold, it’s like a mini Cuban link chain, but for your wrist.
• White Blue Diamond Bracelet: Our men’s hip-hop blue and white diamond bracelet stands out from the crowd. At 77 grams, you’ll be reminded of your success any time you move your hand.

Rings

Rappers, boxers, ballers, DJs, celebrities, and more—hip-hop statement rings are starting to take over the world of high-end fashion rings. We also offer engagement rings:

• Diamond Star Pinky Ring: Wearing a ring this large and expensive on your pinky is a major confidence move. Part of our clearance section, it’s actually cheap. Get it now while it’s 70% off.
• Diamond Skull Ring: Made of real gold and diamonds, this skull ring has a crown. Sorry to out-do you like this, Keith Richards.
• Miami Cuban Link Chain Ring: It’s like a mini Cuban Link Chain, but for your finger.

Diamond Watches

These real gold and diamond watches are so iced-out, it’s surprising they don’t freeze time itself.

• Joe Rodeo Ladies Diamond Watch: Whether this is your first Joe Rodeo or you’re adding to your collection, this women’s watch is perfect for hip-hop style.
• Gucci Chrono Diamond Watch for Men: Snoop Dogg gets his diamond watches from ItsHot.com, and you can too. This Gucci watch is so iced-out that we can’t guarantee it won’t give you frostbite.

Be on Top: Shop Hip-Hop at Itshot

Here at ItsHot.com we take painstaking care to deliver the widest variety of the latest hip-hop fashion trends. One of the most reputable sellers in New York City, we’re the go-to store for the hottest trend-setters.

While rappers like to compete with each other with their gold jewelry, we’re having a hard time finding friendly competition; our prices are just too low to match. Browse our selection by filtering by men’s and women’s styles, carats, weight, and more to buy the perfect piece for you.

Shop with confidence: all diamond hip hop jewelry we sell are guaranteed to be quality made and come with 1 year warranty and 30 days money back guarantee. All diamond hip hop jewelry pieces are shipped by safe, fully insured FedEx mail with signature confirmation, with each hip hop diamond jewelry item carefully packaged in a nice gift box.